Former Finance Minister Amin Adam has dismissed claims that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration implemented the 10% tax on sports betting winnings.
His response follows an announcement by current Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson that the government has scrapped the tax while presenting the 2025 Budget Statement and Economic Policy in Parliament on Tuesday, March 11.
“We will abolish the 10% withholding tax on winnings from lottery, otherwise known as the ‘Betting Tax’,” Dr. Forson stated.
In addition to the betting tax, the government has also removed the E-levy, the COVID-19 tax, and the emission levy.
However, addressing the media after the budget reading, Amin Adam challenged the claim, insisting that the previous government never enforced the betting tax.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we never collected or implemented the betting tax. So to come and tell Ghanaians that you have abolished something we never implemented is to deceive the people of Ghana,” he stated.
The betting tax was introduced in 2023, but ahead of the 2024 elections, John Mahama and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) had promised to eliminate it if elected.
The removal of the 10% betting tax is expected to be welcomed by many young Ghanaians, particularly those who rely on gambling as an alternative source of income amid limited job opportunities.